Hi Everyone,

I've been lurking for a while, but posting now for the first time.

Here's my story: my wife and I love figs, and we've had a long and sordid history of trying to grow them, starting on our fire-escape in Brooklyn, where we had to fight off the squirrels and defend against winter storms, to our current crop of small but controversially prohibited trees in our community garden plots here in Los Angeles.

This past year, we found the most delicious figs we've ever tasted growing out of a crack in the concrete on the bank of the LA River near Griffith Park.  The bush/tree was about 7' in diameter/height, and completely covered in hundreds of figs with a purple skin and very large, pale pink druplets.  The aroma and flavor were very nutty and complex--not too sweet but very deep.  The photo below was taken in October.  Later in the winter as the figs were starting to dry up, the flesh had turned a deep red but the flavor was still very unique. There were several other fig bush/trees in the area, but they were completely different varieties--also delicious, but not transcendent like this one.

I grabbed some cuttings and started trying to propagate them with moss in a box, and was making good progress before life, travel, and moving apartments got in the way.  

Well, when we went back for more cuttings last week we discovered to our horror that DWP or some some such authority has come along and razed every living thing from the riverbank, including our beloved fig tree.  Fortunately, they left all the dormant branches lying there, so I gathered up a bunch, and am trying again to root them.  I'm hedging my bets by attempting several of the techniques I've seen described here in the forums.  They look very viable based on what I've read here.  Since it was growing wild just a few miles from my home in central LA, I think it should be able to thrive in this climate.

As additional insurance, I'd love to share some cuttings with others who'd like to try growing these, so let me know.  They chopped it off just above the ground, so I'm wondering if it's likely to just grow back over time. I hope so...

Welcome!!
Speading a great fig variety around is a wonderful idea. As long as you don't think that it needs a fig wasp for pollination, I'd love to try it out. But growing wild like that, it would most likely be a Smyrna type, I think. No fig wasps here in PA. Any idea if it needs the wasp??

Hi guys, Aaron here, welcome to the F4F forum:)
Looks like a fully caprified beautiful fig picture there.
Where in LA are you guys, I'm in Glendale :)

Hi, guys, from another LA resident!
Welcome!

Aaron, btw, you probably live 15 min from me :)

Really Igor? I thought you were in West Side.

My mouth is watering just looking at that beautiful fig. Oh to live somewhere other than in Denver where it is -13F at this very moment.

Welcome to the forum!

Welcome to the forum. And yes, it almost certainly will grow back, as long as they didn't try to poison it.

Hello all,

We're right by MacArthur Park (of "cake out in the rain" fame), between Downtown and Korea Town.  We've only been in LA for about a year, but it seems like a dead easy place to grow things (at least until the water runs out...) so hopefully our fig dreams will be realized here.

The tree in question was just about in Glendale, on the West side of the river, just above the Hyperion/Glendale bridge.  Keep an eye out for a comeback, or if you want to try to grab some branches. ;-)

Rhonda, that was like minus 300, you are kidding me? how can any fig tree survive that? My fingers were dessicating in a 10 min walk...

Welcome to the forum! New Member with an awesome attitude.   Good for you!

I have no idea about wasps.  Anyone?  

You need to have a get together with Igor and Aaron!!!!

Francisco made many posts here about the fig wasps. As you  plan on growing figs you will know some need that little insect to make real figs..others don't and for us in cold climates we cannot have those, unless for the look of the leaves.  it is a magical thing (simbiotic relationship)

MacArthursPark, there is a great video on the sycamore fig and the relationship with the wasp. Queen of Trees

Grasa, If you are posting then you did not turn to ice. I hope you have thawed out now. Rotten time to come to Denver!

MacArthursPark,

Welcome to the forum!

.../ ..  growing out of a crack in the concrete on the bank of the LA River near ...

You are  very lucky ! Finding an edible, unknown and  promising fig variety out of a seedling as it looks like. Over and above this, you say that you found more fig bushes in the area apparently with edible figs too.
I suggest you watch that area, which seems to be some fig Paradise.

As we are in the correct season, I would recommend that you get to what was left from the tree and try and dig around an healthy trunk of that bush and do your best to extract it with 'as many roots as possible' as bring it to your backyard to be immediately potted in a good/rich soil. You stand then a very good chance of later in the season pick up a dozen or so of those very nice figs..
You may take more rooted trunks from the other fig bushes

The wasp will come later, in time !!

Grasa, please help from there ! I am too far away !

Good luck

Francisco

welcome to the forum. lovely fig.

Looks like you found a treasure!  I hope your cuttings grow!  If it needs the wasp, it obviously has it to produce so many fruits, so that wasp is alive and well in your area!

Welcome to the forum!

Suzi

Welcome to the forum.  

Sorry to read that you and your wife had a history (of attempted fig growing) that was sordid.  Sounds regrettable.  Better luck now in fig paradise.  :-)

Mike   central NY state, zone 5a

So just to make sure I am following, this beautiful fig in the picture needs a wasp - right?

Dang! I was hoping to get one of those cuttings!

GeneDaniels,

Do not give up.. Too soon to say it needs a wasp. It could well be a parthenocarpic fruit! Who knows ?
Looking at the picture, the fig pulp tells ... it may have been picked up 3 to 4 days ahead of full ripeness given that apparent half dry aspect.
Common varieties with red, carmine or deep red pulps if pollinated, do show very syrupy interiors.
This is the case of Violette de Solliès/Black Bourjassotte, Bebera Branca/Preta, White Bourjassotte, etc..

Francisco

I just reread the OP, he mentioned "hundreds of figs." I know this might be a word picture, but just thinking. If this tree had a large amount of ripening fruit, isn't it unlikely that it requires wasps? Unless of course there is a large source of fig wasps near by. But have always understood that wasps need to be cultured near a Smyrna orchard because they don't occur naturally in sufficient quantities to pollinate a lot of figs. Therefore, I am reasoning that the chance is high this is a common fig.

What does this august body of fig experts think?

FYI, I just PMed the OP and asked for cuttings. I for one am willing to throw the dice on a fig that looks that good. After all, its from California, anything is possible ;-)

There's no way to tell unless you grow it outside the wasp area.  The 'nuttiness' is a dead giveaway that is has been caprified.  Whether it has to be caprified isn't yet known.  Odds are always in favor of a tree grown from seed requiring caprification to bear fruit.  You never know until you try.  Even if it does produce figs the flavor wont be the same without the wasp.